The Third Article of the Hopewell treaty, concluded with the Chickasaws January 10, 1786, provides that " the boundary of the lands hereby alotted to the Chickasaws nation to live and hunt on, within the limits of the United States of America is, and shell be, the following, viz ; Beginning on the the ridge that divides the waters running into the Cumberland, from those running into the Tennessee, at a point in a line to be run northeast, which shall strike the Tennessee at the mouth of Duck river, thence running westerly along said ridge till it shall strike the Ohio: thence down the southern bank thereof to the Mississippi ; thence down the same to the Choctaw line of the Natchez district, eastwardly, as far as the Chickasaws claimed, and lived, and hunted, on the 20th of November, 1782."
In 1786 the State of South Carolina cede to the United states government a twelve mile strip adjoining the southern boundary of Tennessee and extending from the Mississippi to the western line of Georgia, which was added to Mississippi territory in 1804. This land had been originally granted to South Carolina by the Crown of England, and it thus comes that the northern part of Old Tishomingo county was at one time a portion of South Carolina.
The Pontotoc treaty, between the government and the Chickasaws, concluded October 22, 1832, is in part as follows;
" Treaty made and entered into by Gen. John Coffee, being duly authorized thereto by the President of the United States, and the whole Chickasaw nation, on Pontotoc creek, on the 20-22 day of October, 1832,"and " articals supplementary to" 1834.
Article 1. For the consideration heretoafter expressed, the Chickasaw nation do hereby cede to the United States all the land which they own on the east side of the Mississippi river, including all the country where they at present live and occupy.
Article 2. The United States agree to have the whole country thus ceded surveryed, as soon as it can be conveniently done, in the same manner that the public lands of the United States are surverye, in the states of Mississippi and Alabama, and as soon thereafter as may be practicable, to have the same prepared for sale. The President of the United States will then offer the land for sale at public auction, in the same manner and on the same terms and conditions as the other public lands, and such of the lands as may not sell at the public sales shall be offered at private sales, in the same manner as that other private sales are made of the United States.
Article 3. As a full compensation to the Chickasaw nation for the country thus cede, the United Stated agree to pay over to the Chickasaw nation all the money arising from the sale of the land which may be received from time to time, after deducting
threrfrom the whole cost and expenses of surveying and selling the land, including every expense attending the same.
Ariticle four provides that the Chickasaw Nation shall select a reservation at some point west of the Mississippi river, but until such selection be made those of the nation who so desire may make selections of the cede lands as follows:
" To a single man who is 21 years of age, one section; to each family of five and under that number, two sections; to each family of six and not exceeding ten, three sections, and to each family of over ten in number, four sections,etc.:
said land to be sold by the government and the proceeds covered into the Chickasaw fund whenever the occupants thereof shall decide to remove to the reservation to be selected west of the Mississippi river."
Article five provides for the sale of all improvements made by the Chickasaws while living on the lands selected unter Ariticle four, and the payment of the proceeds to those making the improvements.
Article fifteen provides that no persons be permitted to move in and settle on any of the ceded lands before sold.
The lands covered by the above treaty were surveyed by the government, a land office established at Pontotoc, and several thousand families located throughout the northeastern portion of Mississippi during 1833, 1834 and 1835, despite the provisions of the fifteenth section of the treaty of Pontotoc. The first families, coming into the territory before the completion of the survey by the government, selected suitable locations, erected log cabins and commenced clearing the ground preparatory to establishing permanent homes, and upon the opening of the land office at Pontotoc repaired hither and purchased the sections or parts of sections thus settled, the first patents issued for Tishomingo county lands being dated January, 1836.
